Hello Happy Readers!

It's the last week to log in your minutes!  Make sure you've logged everyting in by Friday.

As for me - I've  declared it a "Turn Off Your TV and Read" week so I can really bring in the minutes!  I'm just barely below 5,000 now but I'm going to shoot for 6,000.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Remember - if you didn't manage to log in your minutes on the scholastic website you can turn in a handwritten or typed copy of your reading record to me the first day of school.

See you all next week!

-Miss Melilli

Here's a few good books I read of the last few weeks:

Flying the Dragon by Natalie Diaz Lorenzi (Recommended for 3rd - 7th grade)  I like to call this kind of book "Books about kids doing things kids do" or the "non-adventure genre" but neither of those descriptions sound compelling.  But, just because there are no adventure or magic elements doesn't mean it's a boring book.  It's a book for you if you are interested in people which I think most of us are.  The story is about Skye and Hiroshi who are cousins.  Skye has lived in America all of her life and doesn't know a lot about her Japanese heritage.  Sure, she and her dad used to speak Japanese when she was younger, but now she's more focused on making the All Star soccer team.  Hiroshi lives with his family, including his beloved, kite making grandfather, in Japan.  When Grandfather is diagnosed with cancer, they decide to move to America to arrange better treatment for him.  Hiroshi is worried he will feel out of place in America and he will miss the big rokkaku kite-fighting championship.  While Skye tries to help Hiroshi fit in at a new school, in a new language, in a new culture, Hiroshi tries to help her learn Japanese.  The misunderstandings the cousins have are deeper than just language barriers and their individual challenges sometimes got in the way of their would-be friendship.  A nice story with a satisfying conclusion.

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (Recommended for 6^th – 9^th grade)  This book is set in a place called the Ununited Kingdoms, which lets you know that we are reading about an alternate reality because, of course, it is the United Kingdom in our reality.  In this story, magic has played a huge part in history, but now magic is dwindling and there is not much of it left.  Jennifer Strange runs Kazam!, a wizard agency, in the absence of her boss who has disappeared.  When a prophecy hits the wizarding world about the death of the last dragon, she has no idea what part she will have to play in it.  This book certainly had the adventure/magic elements in abundance and enjoyed the magic system that was set up, though it took a little while to really understand.  The only thing that bothered me is the constant references to “alternate reality” things that weren’t really explained.  A sentence would mention some totally obscure event or person which, of course, would make perfect sense to someone living in that world.  I, however, live in this one and felt a little out of the loop.  Jennifer is brave and true to her conscience and I will look forward to reading the second book.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio (Recommended for 5^th – 8^th grade) Auggie is going into the 5^th grade this year.  It will be his first year going to an actual school.  He has been homeschooled up until now because the first 10 years of his life included 27 surgeries.  You see, Auggie was born with a birth defect that has left him with a very unusual face.  He’s gotten used to, and tries to ignore, the double takes from strangers and the small kids who are frightened by his appearance.  But now he’s facing being the new kid in middle school where he just wants to fit in.  If you’ve ever been new, you know this feeling.  Auggie is a brave kid, most of the time, who likes Star Wars, is good at science, and has a genuinely good heart.  This story is told from the perspective of Auggie, his sister Via, Via’s boyfriend Justin and her ex-best friend Miranda, and Auggie’s new friends Summer and Jack.  I really liked reading everyone’s different perspectives on the story.  Not only did I get insight into what different people thought when they first met Auggie, but I got to know the motivations behind their actions.  Middle School can be tough, and being treated like a normal kid often means taking the bad with the good.  But with good friends and a supportive family, Auggie comes through his first year of school with flying colors.

Total reading minutes to date: 4,310.

Hello Readers!

I've had a great vacation with a lot of good books, so here's an update:

Book Reviews:

Whales on Stilitsby M.T. Anderson. (Recommended for 2nd - 5th grade)  I really enjoyed this book.  It was funny and full of surprises.  (See my previous blog for more information.)

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin. (Recommended for 2nd - 5th grade) This is the companion book to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon which I have not read yet, but I'm putting on my reading list now.  This is a brand new, not yet released book about a boy who runs away from home in a merchants cart and ends up at an inn with an innkeeper and his daughter.  The book is full of myths that explain the culture of the people in the book and give insight into the characters themselves.  If you like stories about stories, you'll like this one!  Available October 2012.

The Raven Boysby Maggie Stiefvater. (Recommended for High School/Young Adult) Our main character, Blue, lives with her mother and her mother’s friends who are all psychics.  For as long as she can remember she has been given a daunting prophecy: if she kisses her true love, he will die.  Sounds like the makings of a teen romance novel, but there is much more to this book than meets the eye.  She meets a group of four boys from the local boarding school - one of which she has seen before... in a graveyard... as a spirit... a sure sign, she is told, that he is either her true love or she will kill him.  The boys' friendship with each other and Blue make for a great character driven novel.  The boys are searching for something mystical and important which leads them through more than one dangerous circumstance.  There are plenty of surprises to discover through this mystery and the book ends with just enough of a cliffhanger that I am already anticipating the second book – and this one hasn’t even been officially released yet!  Available September 2012.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. (Recommended for 5^th – 9^th grade)  This is a Newbery Honor book from 1995.  The book is a diary of 14-year-old Catherine (nicknamed “Birdy”) who is the daughter of a country knight in the Middle Ages.  Her brother has asked her to write in this diary every day as a way to encourage her to be less childish.    The story centers around Birdy’s plight – her father wishes to marry her off to a wealthy nobleman to increase his position.  Not only is Birdy uninterested in marriage at 14 years old, but the suitors her father brings to dinner are (almost comically) awful.  I found myself frustrated with Birdy who would try and find a way out of her upcoming marriage only to decide a page or two later that her solution would be too difficult or unappealing.  But if you are interested in history, especially this particular time of Lords and Ladies, you may find the historical tidbits quite interesting.  If you have at one time thought you wanted to live “way back when” reading this book might just be insightful.  I think I will read Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech since it’s the Newbery Medal winner of the same year.

Reading Minutes to date: 3,433.

Whew!  It has been a very busy couple of weeks.  But, I finally finished the very-long-book (A Clash of Kings, George R. R. Martin) so I have something new to post!

I started Whales on Stilts by M. T. Anderson yesterday and so far I am really enjoying it.  Not only is it funny and adventurous but I knew this was the book for me when I read this quote on page 26:

“Jasper said, ‘Dash it all, chums, this sounds a mighty pickle.’
Yup get used to it, because that’s how Jasper always talked.”

I am, in fact, looking forward to more of Jasper's dialog because 1) in my mind he sounds like a British detective like Sherlock Holmes, 2) I really think the phrase "Dash it all" should be brought back into regular usage, and 3) I like pickles.  Oh, M. T. Anderson, I think we're going to get along just fine!  The book is about a girl named Lily Gefelty who goes to work with her dad on Career Day and finds that, unbeknownst to her father, his company is actually an evil organization trying to take over the world.  Apparently, there are whales and stilts involved in this plan... not sure how yet, I will post further review when I've finished.

Reading Minutes: I have, to date, read 1423 minutes.  Some of my challengers are really hitting it out of the park!  Well, keep it up my friends - I'm going on vacation which will involve a rather lengthy road trip, and I do not get car sick from reading. :)  I expect to greatly improve my number over the next week.

Keep reading everyone! 
Miss Melilli

I started tracking my summer reading minutes last Saturday (July 16) and was curious to see how many minutes I read in a normal week.  Here's a summary:

• Minutes Read: 700
• Currently Reading: A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin.  Thoughts so far - Excellent.  (Also, this is a long one, I'll probably be reading it for a while!)  Recommended for - Parents.
• Audio Book listened to: My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath.  Thoughts - This is one of those books where not a lot happens but centers around the characters and their internal struggles.  I enjoyed it well enough, though I didn't care for the voice of the reader.  Recommended for - Introspective folks grades 4 and up.
• Audio Book struggled through: Witch & Wizard by James Patterson.  Thoughts - I've read a lot of really excellent fantasy fiction, so when a book isn't very well developed and the plot seems flimsy (though it moves fast) I can't help but be disappointed.  Not my favorite, but if you like a lot of action in your books, this might be for you.  Recommended for: Grades 5 and up, and fans of fast paced plots.

I also went to a librarian conference this last weekend (and no, we don't get to just sit around and read at these things!) and came home with a ton of brand new, not quite yet pubished books.  These are called "galleys" or "ARCs" - Advanced Reader Copies.  Hopefully I can get through several of them to review for you!

I noticed that there are several of you that are already beating me!  Keep up the good work!  A lot of you are really close so keep at it!

Furiously Reading,
Miss Melilli

Summer is my favorite time of year, not just because school is out and it's nice and warm, but because it is an excellent time to catch up on reading. 

This year St. Anne students will be participating in the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge.  The goal is to have everyone reading at least 20 minutes a day during the summer.  It's the perfect time to catch up on favorites or even read books that don't have an Accelerated Reader test.  You can read whatever you want; just READ!

I've decided to join the challenge and extend my own challenge to the students: how many St. Anne students can out-read me this summer?  I'll be updating this blog with book reviews as well as my summer reading minutes.  So, as one enthusiastic student said in library class last week, "Game on!"

-Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarian